Matt Cain was answering question after question about the Giants' nosedive after their 18th loss in 23 games, a 2-0 decision to the Padres on Friday, and said the team is giving maximum effort physically and mentally in preparing for and playing games.

In fact, maybe the guys are trying too hard, Cain suggested.

At one point, he said, "Let's go out there and ... act like a bunch of little kids."

Why not? The alternative isn't working. Just because baseball is a business and played by adults who pocket an awful lot of money, it's still a kids' game that requires a fun quota, and perhaps that's a missing ingredient, one that was more prevalent when the Giants were living a dream at 42-21.

Then again, how fun can it be to get shut out three times in five games and four times in 11 games?

Asked more about the subject, Cain said, "When you see guys having fun and being relaxed, it usually translates into guys winning. ... We've just got to get the right chemistry again and mojo we had earlier in the year, and all this won't matter."

A players-only, get-off-the-schneid meeting was held before the game one day after manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean had their own get-off-the-schneid meeting with a few veterans. It seems Sabean, before improving the roster via trades, wants to see progress.

On Friday, there was none.

The Giants collected four hits off Eric Stults, the same Eric Stults who had a 5.31 career ERA against the Giants and lasted just 2 2/3 innings in San Francisco on April 29, giving up five runs on seven hits. Throughout the Giants' lineup, hitters had career averages of .300-plus and, in a couple of cases .400-plus, against Stults.

Suddenly, he morphed into Randy Jones. Stults cruised through seven innings, and the Giants did nothing against relievers Joaquin Benoit and Huston Street.

Cain yielded two runs in the third inning (Alexi Amarista homer, Chase Headley single), the only two runs he gave up in 13 1/3 innings over his past two starts, both Giants losses. He's 1-7.

"It's tough. It stinks, plain and simple," Buster Posey said. "We have to do a better job offensively when we get a start like that."

Bochy said, "We need a spark. We've got to clean the spark plugs."

With the trade deadline 27 days away, Bochy was asked if the spark could come from the outside.

"Well, that's a pretty good club we're throwing out there," he said. "We got (Brandon) Belt back. You look at this lineup, it's a lineup that did a lot of damage. We're not looking for help. I don't think we need help. We have the talent here. We just have to keep believing that it's going to happen. I've got a feeling that once we get on a roll, we'll get back to the team we were earlier in the season."

Belt returned to the lineup after missing eight weeks with a broken left thumb. He made several splendid defensive plays at first base and went 0-for-4 in Bochy's new lineup, which begins with Hunter Pence and Belt.